London-based machine intelligence startup Tessian raises $13 million in Series A Funding

Tessian (formerly called CheckRecipient), the London-based startup deploying machine learning to improve email security, has raised $13 million. The Series A round was led by Balderton Capital and Accel. Amadeus Capital Partners, Crane, LocalGlobe, Winton Ventures and Walking Ventures also participated in the round.

Founded in 2013 by three engineering graduates from Imperial College — Tim Sadler, Tom Adams and Ed Bishop — is a next-generation email security platform that helps enterprises counteract human error and significantly reduce the risk of data loss. Tessian uses machine intelligence to analyse email networks and automatically prevent highly sensitive emails being sent to the wrong people with minimal end user disruption.

Tim Sadler, CEO and co-founder of Tessian, stated: “It’s human nature to fear scary things like hackers or malware, but we often don’t think twice about the dangers behind something as familiar and ingrained as sending an email. In reality that’s where an overwhelming threat lies.”

Meanwhile, Sadler says the startup’s customers span legal, healthcare and financial services, but that any enterprise handling sensitive data are a potential fit. “World leading organisations like Schroders, Man Group and Dentons and over 70 of the UK’s leading law firms are now using platform to protect their email networks,” adds the company.